


Something I Need

by Abbie



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-OT3, Smoaking billionaires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 10:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2769815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abbie/pseuds/Abbie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy and Felicity's friendship has been getting closer, and Oliver can either get jealous or catch up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been doing bits and pieces on Tumblr for months now of this Tommy/Felicity/Oliver high school AU, but since I never really wrote the starting point none of it's been posted here. This still isn't THE starting point, but it's a good enough place to jump in, and self-contained enough, I think, to stand on its own.

Tommy didn’t know what time it was, but he didn’t care, either. “Too early” was close enough.

He had absolutely no plans of actually being _awake_ anytime soon.

At least, not any more than was required to blink his eyes open and see the shape of Felicity’s shoulder in the shadowy hollow they’d curled into inside the blankets. She was maybe six inches away, lying on her side and facing away from him, her shape drowning in the t-shirt she’d stolen from him and her baggy, duck-printed pajama pants.

A vaguely stupid, goofily fond smile curved his mouth and he shuffled across the warm sheets until his knees hit the backs of hers, his legs the comma curling behind her own as he snuggled up to her back, his nose finding her nape and burying in the hair there.

He exhaled on a sigh and she squirmed, a genuinely pathetic whimpering noise preceding her roll into his frame.

Tucking her head under his chin, she mumbled, “Quit breathing on me, I’m comfortable.”

He snorted, eyes still shut as he smiled and draped his arm over her waist. “Shuttup. _Sleeping_.”

She huffed a soundless laugh into his chest, scooting closer and wiggling to get comfy. “Then _sleep._ ”

Affection bubbled up in his chest like fizz, and following a sleepy urge, he smooshed a sloppy kiss against her hairline, squeezed his arm around her, and drifted down into the feeling of being safe and cared for, content to tangle around his friend with their heads buried under his covers for an hour or two more.

—

"This was not what I was expecting. "

Oliver stood over Tommy’s bed,  two lattes steaming in his hands, and stared with a crumpled, confused brow at the pair of lumps under Tommy’s covers.

Slowly, the lumps shuffled, the bedcovers undulating like a tentacled monster would emerge from its high thread-count depths at any moment.

Tommy’s dark, crazily-tousled hair popped free of the blankets, nothing visible below his squinting eyes. He greeted Oliver with a muffled, “Mrrmph?”

Oliver blinked at him, pointedly looking at the still-covered and as-yet unidentified lump on Tommy’s other side. He raised his brows pointedly, gesturing with one of the lattes before stage-whispering. “Dude, you didn’t tell me you brought a girl home and got laid last night.” Tommy’s eyes went squintier, and then Oliver frowned. “Wait, what happened to Felicity? I thought she was hanging out with you last night?”

Sudden wakefulness widened Tommy’s eyes and he shot up like a spring daisy, emerging clad in a wrinkled gray t shirt as he furtively looked behind him at the other lump, then turned to Oliver and hissed, “Shhh! Shit, she’s still sleeping,  _shh_.”

Oliver’s mouth fell open in confusion and he stepped back so Tommy could slide gingerly from the bed.

In doing so, the covers lifted enough Oliver got a peek at tangled blonde hair spread across the dark blue of Tommy’s sheets.

"Holy  _shit_ , is that—”

Panicking, Tommy hitched up his pajama pants with one hand and shoved at Oliver’s chest with the other, hurriedly backing him into the bathroom and oh so carefully easing the door quietly shut behind them.

"Tommy," Oliver drawled accusingly, "did you have  _sex with Felicity_ last night?”

Tommy turned to him with the most scornful, incredulous look Oliver had ever seen. “ _No_! Jesus, Ollie,  _no_.”

Oliver snorted, turning and setting the two grande lattes on the sink counter. “Right, so you totally just  _slept_ in the same bed with her, just slept, absolutely no making out or intimate touching.”

Tommy raised a slow brow, a nonverbal drawl. “‘Intimate touching’? Clutch your pearls a little tighter, Oliver. We just shared a bed, that’s it.”

"Why?" Oliver fired back, chin tipped back challengingly, arms crossing. "Seriously, it was a little odd and a little cute with the sleepovers, but that was before you guys started sleeping in your bed together." He hesitated. "Is she gay?"

Tommy turned to look at him, affronted. “ _Seriously,_ Oliver?”

"What!" He shrugged, defensive. "It’s not really like you to have a girl in your bed and not be naked with her. Or at least not be _trying_ to get naked with her.”

Tommy leaned his shoulders back against the bathroom door and dragged both hands up his face and into his hair, eyelids pulled up grotesquely to glare at Oliver. “She is my _friend_. Dude, I though you had this down by now.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “Look, I get it, okay? She’s a friend.” Tommy dropped his hands to his sides and glared at him til he shifted uncomfortably. “ _Our_ friend. I guess, I don’t know, I guess I just thought… maybe you were into her?”

Tommy frowned, more thoughtful than unhappy. “Because of the sleeping thing?”

Oliver snorted, smirking. “Well, yeah, that. But also, I just—it’s not like either of us has ever done this girl-as-a-friend thing before. We’ve _done girls_ and done girlfriends, but friends with girls?” He shook his head.

Crossing one ankle over the other, Tommy sighed. “Well, I’m not trying to get into Felicity’s pants, okay? That’s not—that’s not the goal here, or whatever.” He dropped his eyes to the floor, smiling, eyes soft and fond. It took Oliver a little aback; it was a smile most resembling the one Tommy reserved for Thea. “She’s special, okay? She gets me, and we just—we just… have a lot in common.”

Oliver frowned, and Tommy glanced up, catching it. Scowling, he hissed heatedly, “ _Yes_ , despite me being rich and her being poor, we _do_ have things in common.”

Oliver’s hands shot up, head pulling back in surprise as his brows snapped together. “Hey! I didn’t say anything like that.” He lowered his hands, averting his gaze. “It’s just that… the other stuff you have in common. I can guess. And it’s not fair.”

Tommy sucked in a sharp breath and held it. It wasn’t often he and Oliver actually talked about this. He could count on Oliver to understand, to be there to distract him if he needed it or call Malcolm every crude word in the book. But their genuine conversations about it were rare, and hard. “It isn’t,” Tommy answered softly. “But look, don’t… don’t treat her different or something, okay? It’s her story to tell. Or not tell.”

Oliver chewed on the inside of his cheek, nodding sharply. “I won’t, I promise.” Desperate to change the subject, he forced a tight smile, reaching over to pluck up one of the cooling lattes and offer it to Tommy. “So, not even any after-midnight cuddling?”

Startled into a laugh, Tommy’s cheeks and ears went red, and he ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, maybe there was cuddling. Strictly _friendly_ cuddling.”

Oliver’s grin widened, the relief of humor and familiar territory spreading in his chest. “Well next time, _invite me_. You know how I love _friendly_ cuddling.”

Tommy snorted, then jumped forward with a yelp as the door behind him pushed into his back, opening a handful of inches.

Oliver and Tommy stared guiltily as Felicity stuck her head in, hair a curly riot, eyes squinting and nose wrinkled as she peered at them without her glasses. “You guys know I’m awake and I can hear you, right?” She sniffed suddenly, then turned, her entire face brightening as she spied the cardboard cup by the sink. “Oh, _god_ ,” she moaned, stepping further into the doorway and making grabby hands. “Is that coffee?”

Lips tucking a smile and eyebrows riding high, Oliver reached out and passed her the second coffee, unable to hold back his laugh as she hummed happily against the lid.

"Oliver Queen, you are cordially invited to the next Merlyn-Smoak Sleepover Cuddle. But only if you promise to bring me coffee in the morning."

Oliver licked his lips and waggled his eyebrows at a dubious-looking Tommy. “I accept your terms.”

Tommy sighed. “This is weird. You both are weird.” He looked at Felicity, who raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. He tossed his hands in the air, defeated. “ _We_ are weird.”

Oliver stepped forward and hooked an arm around Tommy’s neck, wrapping the other around Felicity’s shoulders and guiding them back into the bedroom. “We’ve been worse. Now, it’s Saturday, we’re all here, and there’s no school on Monday. How much trouble do you think we can get into over the next 24 hours?”


	2. Chapter 2

"Tommy!" Oliver ran up behind him, hooking one arm around Tommy’s neck as he crashed into his back.

Tommy puffed a melodramatic groan at the impact, then turned his head to smirk at Oliver with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, buddy, you’re unusually excited this Friday afternoon. I mean, yes, we can now legally escape this daily hell-prison, but this level of enthusiasm you’re displaying is positively _unseemly_.”

Oliver made a droll face at the word _unseemly_ , snorting away Tommy’s typical sarcasm. Lifting his other hand, he waved a neon orange flyer at Tommy’s chin. “Bowen’s throwing a party at his pool house. Laurel’s going, McKenna’s gonna be there, that hot chick from Spanish said her twin is bringing some girls from her Catholic school…”

"Oooh," Tommy hissed. "Are they coming in uniform?" Oliver laughed as Tommy made prayer hands under his chin, mouthing _please_ over and over. Dropping his hands, he sighed and shrugged Oliver’s arm off with a rueful smirk. “Alas, they will forever remain Schrodinger’s Schoolgirls for me. Felicity’s coming over.”

Oliver stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and clamped down on a flare of annoyance. “So? Bring her, she could use a little fun.” Oliver grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe _she’ll_ get lucky at the party.”

Tommy grimaced, eyebrows in skeptical mode as his eyes lowered to that we-both-know-you’re-full-of-shit half-mast. “That’s… not exactly her crowd. Besides, ugh, can you imagine? You really want her within 12 feet of a drunk Carter Bowen?” The eyebrows rose, and Oliver blinked as he considered it, nose scrunching in distaste at the idea of Carter trying to _impress_ Felicity into the poolhouse loft. She was just his type, too, cute and smart and _good_. “Yeah, I thought not.”

Oliver sighed, aggrieved, one hand dragging back through his hair to get it off his forehead. “C’mon, Tommy, you’re killing me here. You’ve ditched me for like the last _four_ parties. It’s a lot less fun without my wingman backing me up.”

Tommy tucked his chin, one hand splaying over his heart. “Aww, man, that’s so _sweet_. I’m touched, really.”

Oliver huffed a laugh, shoving at Tommy’s shoulder. “Fuck you. Man, you keep picking Felicity over me and I’m gonna get jealous.”

"Picking me over Oliver for what?" Oliver caught sight of Felicity over Tommy’s shoulder, hefting her bulging messenger bag and face scrunched in adorable confusion. She was wearing a butter-yellow dress with an apricot-colored cardigan buttoned over it, her hair gathered in a sloppy bun at the crown of her head, stray curls at her temples and hairline.

Tommy whirled around. “Hey!” He scooped her into a sudden hug, her brows raising in surprise as she was crushed to Tommy’s chest. She met Oliver’s eyes with raised brows, and he winced in chagrin. Tommy pushed her back to arm’s length, grinning too big down at her. “Look at you, popping up out of nowhere like a little sunshine ninja.”

"Sunshine ninja?" Felicity shook her head sharply, reaching up to feel Tommy’s forehead. "Are you high?" She turned to Oliver, looking genuinely concerned. "Is he high?"

Oliver winced at her, shrugging his shoulders up around his ears. “Sorry, Felicity. I was just bitching that Tommy keeps skipping out on partying with me to chill with you. I’m starting to feel like the jilted lover is all.” He infused his voice with teasing, but his eyes pleaded her to forgive his accusation.

She bit her lips together, eyes soft as she tilted her head at him. Shoulders slumping ever so slightly, she turned to smile at Tommy. “Go. Have fun with Oliver. I kinda have been hogging you. It won’t kill me to spend a weekend in the dorms.” A group of three girls walked by, glancing at Felicity as they passed and snickering behind their hands to each other. Felicity watched them pass with a sour twist to one corner of her mouth and muttered, “Probably.”

Oliver instantly felt like a shitheel. He could be self-centered, he’d be the first to admit, but even he couldn’t have missed the way Felicity _wasn’t_ fitting in at school. Considering she was the only person in their class on full scholarship, in running for valedictorian, and had overnight gone from completely friendless to constantly bracketed by Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen, Oliver couldn’t be too surprised by the way his peers were behaving.

But it didn’t make it alright.

"Fuck the party," he blurted suddenly, drawing both Tommy’s and Felicity’s curious gazes swinging to him. "You guys had plans. How about I crash?"

"Seriously?" Tommy folded his arms, leaning back and narrowing his eyes in scrutiny.

Felicity, however, grinned, chin lifting and shoulders going back as her whole face brightened. “You know. You _did_ say you wanted in on the next sleepover.”

Oliver’s eyebrows slowly raised, smile broadening at the memory. “I did! In fact, I believe I was _cordially_ invited to cuddle.” Goofily, he sketched a particularly shitty bow, winking at Felicity’s amused snort.

Tommy groaned. “You remember that.”

Oliver straightened, scoffing at Tommy in offense. “Of course I remember! Geez, Tommy, a guy’d think you didn’t want to share Felicity’s cuddles with him.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, Felicity shaking her head at his shoulder. “Yeah, buddy, that’s exactly what it is. _Definitely_ not mounting dread over the upcoming hours of horrifying puns and lame innuendos.”

Felicity barked a self-deprecating laugh, poking Oliver in the chest. “Back off, Queen, embarrassing innuendos are _my_ territory.”

"But Felicity," He smirked, trapping her hand against his shirt, "I do them on purpose. And I am _never_ embarrassed.”

"Ugh." Tommy reached out and tugged Felicity’s hand away from Oliver so he could slide her messenger bag strap off that shoulder and onto his own. "I regret this already."

"Whatever," Oliver laughed. "I gotta hit the house and get some supplies if we’re sleepovering—" Felicity and Tommy exchanged a look, mouthing "sleepovering?" at each other; Oliver ignored them, "—so I’ll meet you guys there in like an hour and a half?"

Tommy looked to Felicity. “We swinging by the roach motel or do you have clothes and toiletries amongst the bricks in this bag?”

Felicity made an unamused moue. “Ha. Ha. That’s just my books, I didn’t want to bring my laptop or clothes to school.”

Something in her tone caught both Oliver and Tommy’s attention, and Oliver stepped closer as Tommy narrowed his eyes down at Felicity, who eyed them both and shrank a half inch. “Why not?”

Her gaze tennis-balling between them cagily, Felicity realized they’d backed her against the vending machines and sighed in defeat. “Last time somebody broke into my locker and I lost some stuff, okay?”

"They broke into—" Tommy bit off the exclamation angrily. "Felicity! Why didn’t you say anything?"

"To who?" She scoffed. "Because tattling to administration would be _so_ helpful to my situation.”

"To _us_ ,” Oliver frowned. “You could’ve told us.”

"Right," she rolled her eyes. "So you two could, what, guard-dog my gym locker? I mean I know you’re not exactly strangers to the girls’ locker room, but that’s not much more helpful than reporting to the head office."

Tommy and Oliver exchanged worried glances, and Felicity sighed.

"I’m handling it, okay?" They turned matching frowns on her and she reached out to pat both their chests. "Trust me, guys. But really, thanks. The sentiment is…" she looked to her feet, smile small and soft, seemingly unaware her hands still rested over Tommy’s and Oliver’s hearts. "Appreciated."

"Anytime, Felicity." Oliver tapped the back of her hand and squeezed. "Say the word."

Sighing in gusty defeat, Tommy shoved lightly at her shoulder. “Fine. What he said.”

Wrapping her arms around her waist, Felicity’s smile widened, bottom lip pinched between her teeth as her eyes twinkled at them fondly. “Noted. Now let’s go.”

They followed her directorial headtoss towards the parking lot, and Oliver found himself excited for his Friday night all over again.

—

Tommy pulled into the space to the left of the front doors of Brewen Hall, Starling Academy’s girls’ dormitory, and put the Porsche into park.

In the passenger seat, felicity looked up from where she’d been digging in her bag, looking searchingly out the windshield. “Tommy, we can’t park here. This is reserved senior parking.”

Tommy glanced at her, then at the “Reserved” sign mounted on the pole directly in front of him and shrugged, reaching across to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Eh, we won’t be long.”

"Tommy," Felicity sighed. "School just got out, whoever has this spot will probably be here any minute."

Tommy pulled the key from the ignition and grinned at her, eyebrows waggling. “Then we’d better move fast.”

He was already pushing open his door, and Felicity shook her head, lips pursing as she unbuckled and reached for her door handle. Fast was definitely what they’d have to be; the _last_ thing Felicity needed was to piss off a senior who lived in the same building as her. Tommy would slide by unscathed for parking in an upper classwoman’s assigned space, but Felicity would catch hell, one way or another.

Tommy waited for Felicity to join him on the sidewalk, automatically reaching out to take her bag from her hands as she readied her keycard ID for the front doors. Tommy stood before the elegant wood and glass entrance, hand on the push bar while Felicity waved her card in front of the scanner. The little electronic beep preceded the click of the lock, and Tommy pushed the door open and waved Felicity smilingly ahead of him.

"Smoak!" A snapping, impatient voice called before the door even shut behind them.

"Shannon, hi," Felicity nodded cordially to the tall, thin redhead who strode over to her with a clipboard, long hair tumbling over freckled shoulders and wide dark eyes regarding Felicity with a not entirely friendly expression.

"Are you signing in for the night?" Shannon glanced at Tommy, eyes lingering before she shook her head, lips pursing. "And you know _all_ male visitors have to be out before six. Door open as long as he’s here.”

Felicity’s lips pinched as she fumblingly took the clipboard thrust into her hands, catching the pen as it rattled and swung on its beaded chain. “Actually, I’m signing _out_ for the weekend.”

Shannon’s eyes widened, then narrowed, her strong nose wrinkling. “Again? Aren’t you out of vouchers by now?”

Tommy looked back and forth between the two girls as Felicity smiled tightly and Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. “No,” Felicity drawled with a sort of slow irritation. “I’ve got a permanent weekend pass, remember?”

Shannon used her superior height to look down her nose at Felicity, lip curling. “Right.” She held her hands out demandingly, so Felicity hurriedly signed where needed and passed the clipboard and pen back. “I always forget that as long as you have top GPA, administration doesn’t care _what_ you do.” She glanced coolly at Tommy, scanning from head to toe. “Or who.”

"What the _fuck_?” Tommy blurted incredulously.

Shannon just shook her head and walked away as Felicity sucked her lower lip into her mouth, two spots of color high in her cheeks. “Leave it, Tommy. Shannon just hates me. I’m the only one in the dorm with a permanent pass and, well, since she’s a senior and the Dorm Monitor, she doesn’t think that’s fair.”

Tommy glared after Shannon’s path of retreat, jaw jutting forward and hands clenching around the strap of Felicity’s messenger bag. “Fuck fair, she’s a bitch.”

Felicity just shrugged, sighing and closing her eyes for a moment before giving herself a little shake. “Let’s just get my stuff and get out of here.”

Felicity’s room was in the left wing of the first floor, and as they walked, Tommy frowned and studied Felicity’s stiff shoulders and lowered head. “Do you hear that kind of shit a lot?”

Felicity glanced up at him, a humorless smirk curling her mouth. “What? That I’m slutting it up for you and Oliver?” She looked forward again and shrugged, turning her keycard over and over in her hands. “Not as much to my face. But yeah, the rumors were kind of instant.”

Tommy’s jaw squared and he chewed the inside of his bottom lip, nostrils flaring with his temper. “Does it bother you?”

They reached her door and Felicity turned away from it for a second to give him a small smile. “Not nearly enough to keep me away, obviously.”

Tommy fidgeted where he stood, tucking his chin to look at his feet. Felicity’s finger interrupted his view as she poked him in the chest.

"Hey. Stop that." He looked at her from under his brows, and her smile widened. "They already didn’t like me, Tommy. They _still_ don’t like me, but this way, I have friends. I’m not giving you up that easy.”

She turned away to unlock her door and push it open, and Tommy’s breath caught, heart squeezing. Felicity may not have been part of his life for long, but their friendship had caught fire fast and every time she signaled it meant as much to her as to him, the more he felt like meeting Felicity Smoak had been fate.

Tommy followed Felicity into the dorm room, small and a little cramped with its desk, dresser, twin bed, small table and chair. Tommy tossed Felicity’s messenger bag onto her neatly-made bed while she headed for the dresser, reaching for the duffel bag on the floor beside it to start stuffing it with socks and pajamas.

"Tommy, how many days?" Felicity asked, crouching to get to the drawer that held her jeans.

Tommy snorted and moved across the room to the tiny attached bathroom—a sink, microscopic vanity and mirror, and a toilet, no shower—slowly gathering the toiletries he knew she’d want to take. “Dad’s gone for the next three weeks, I am keeping you _all_ weekend.”

He returned with an armload of bathroom goods and crouched to start zipping them into the pockets of her duffel, meeting her eyes as she started rifling through her shirts and smiling. “You’re staying through Sunday night and we’ll just ride in together Monday morning.”

"Oh, am I?" Felicity laughed. Tommy nodded. "Are we bumming around the manor or should I prepare in case Oliver finds another party?"

Tommy narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Hmm, be versatile. Err on the side of recklessness.”

Felicity held up a halter shirt that seemed to mainly be a drape of fabric that tied around the neck and only very _technically_ had a back at all. “Versatile enough?”

Tommy’s eyebrows climbed as he took it from her and folded it into her bag. “Where the hell did you even get something like this?”

Felicity snorted, shutting her drawers and standing. “I lived before you, Tommy Merlyn.”

He scoffed. “Impossible.”

Felicity just smirked secretively and headed to the bed to pull her laptop from underneath it and shove it into her messenger bag.

"Aw, c’mon, Felicity, leave your homework here," Tommy whined, standing and hefting the duffel. "Don’t make me compete with Advanced Calculus and Classic Lit."

She rolled her eyes as she zipped and buckled the bag. “Do you want me to keep my permanent weekend pass or not?” She smirked at him, slinging the bag’s strap across her body. “I mean, if you don’t mind me only being allowed to visit until 10 on Friday and Saturday and 9 on Sundays, sure, I’ll totally just slack off and let my grades drop.”

Tommy rolled his eyes back at her. “Please, you’re so far ahead in all of your classes you could take three weeks off and not sweat it.” He frowned. “But fine. Because curfews on Felicity Weekends are unacceptable.”

Felicity burst out laughing. “Felicity Weekends, huh?”

Tommy nodded, smirking. “So bring the books, fine. But I can’t promise not to distract you from them.” His grin spread, eyes twinkling. “And that’s not even counting Ollie.”

Felicity groaned. “Not _fair_ ganging up on me!” She headed for the door, Tommy trailing at her heels. “Is Oliver spending the whole weekend, too?”

Tommy shrugged as he closed the door behind him, fingers lingering on the knob until he heard the quiet beep of the electronic lock engaging. “He’s gonna at least spend the night. He’ll probably hang out some tomorrow, too, but his family will probably want him back at some point. Thea will, anyways.”

Felicity smiled softly as the two of them headed back to the lobby. “She’s adorable. It’s really sweet, how she and Oliver are.”

Tommy’s smile was fond, but Felicity didn’t miss the sad shadows in the corners of it. “Yeah, he worships her.”

Felicity, understanding that quiet longing in Tommy’s eyes, gently bumped his shoulder with hers. “They’re lucky.”

Tommy nodded, inhaled sharply, and lifted his chin. Smiling brightly at Felicity, he nodded and pronounced, “Well, so are we.”

Felicity blinked, taken a little aback, then grinned, slow and brilliant and full of affection. “We are now.”

They stopped for a moment, sharing that grateful, almost shy smile that said so much that didn’t need to—or couldn’t—be spoken. Then, the spell broke and they left, jostling each other and laughing.

Rumors and enemies and empty houses didn’t matter as long as they had this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More cuddling to come in the final chapter.


End file.
